Ecolab Inc. (ECL) shares surged 5.31% in pre-market trading on Tuesday, following the company's impressive fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 results. The cleaning, food-safety, and pest-control services provider reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue, driven by solid organic sales growth and margin expansion.

For the fourth quarter, Ecolab reported adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.81, a 17% increase from the prior year and beating the analyst consensus estimate of $1.79. Net sales rose 2% year-over-year to $4.005 billion, surpassing the analyst consensus estimate of $3.985 billion.

The company's robust performance was fueled by accelerated organic sales growth in its Industrial and Healthcare & Life Sciences segments, along with continued strong growth in the Pest Elimination and Institutional & Specialty segments. Organic operating income margin expanded 150 basis points to 17.4%, as solid sales growth more than offset growth-oriented investments.

For the full year 2024, Ecolab delivered record sales, organic operating income margin, free cash flow, and adjusted diluted EPS. The company generated $1.8 billion in free cash flow, reflecting strong operational execution and cash generation capabilities.

Looking ahead to 2025, Ecolab expects continued momentum, supported by market share gains, accelerating performance in growth verticals like digital, data centers, microelectronics, and life sciences, and value pricing. The company forecasts full-year 2025 adjusted diluted EPS in the range of $7.42 to $7.62, representing a 12% to 15% increase compared to 2024, despite an anticipated 4% unfavorable impact from currency translation.